LeBron James Spotted At Cavaliers Practice Facility

James, of course, has played for the Cavaliers twice. He led the franchise to its only championship in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors. 

James, 40, picked up his player option for next season with LA, but some people around the NBA believe the future Hall of Famer could request a trade from the Lakers if Rob Pelinka doesn’t improve the roster this offseason. 

After James picked up his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group issued a statement to Shams Charania of ESPN. 

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

The leading scorer in NBA history, James is the oldest active player in the league. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks for the Lakers last season in 70 games. 

The Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. James averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks in the five-game series.

Arguably the best player in NBA history, James is a four-time MVP, a four-time champion and a four-time Finals MVP. He won his fourth title and fourth Finals MVP in 2020 with the Lakers.

The Cavaliers were the first seed in the East last season. However, they lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs in five games.